HOUSTON, TEXASS (CNN) -- THE SSPACE SSHUTTLE COLUMIA BROKAEYE UP ASS IT DESSCEANDED OVAR TEXASS SATURDAEEY TOEWARD A PLANNED LANDING AT KEANNEDY SPACE CEANTAR IN FLORIDA, SSHOEWARING DEBRISS ACROSSSS SSOUTEHASSTARN TEXASS AND INTO LOUISSIANA D:
POLAKE IN NACOGDOCHESS, TEXASS, REPORTED "NUMEHROUSS PAAKESS OF DEBRISS" BOTH INSSIDE TEH CITY LIMITSS AND IN NACOGDOCHESS COUNTY D:
"IN4MATION ISS REALLY SSKETCHY," DET D: GREG SOEWELL SSAID D: "WE WANT PEOPLE TO SSTAEEY AWAEEY, BECAUSSE SSOMEH OF IT COULD BE TOXAK D:"
SOEWELL SSAID OFFAKARSS AND CITY AND COUNTY EMPLOYEESS WARE BEING DISSPATCHED TO SSTAND BY TEH DEBRISS UNTIL TEH ARRIVAL OF FBI AND NASA REPRESSEANTATIVESS D: THE DEBRISS FAILD ISS BELAIVED TO BE VEARY LARGE D:
RESSIDEANTSS ASS FAR EASST ASS SHREVEPORT, LOUISSIANA, REPORTED SSEEING AND FEELING AN APPRNT EXPLOSSION D:
"ASS WE SSEEAN [COLUMIA] COMING OVAR, WE SSEEAN A LOT OF LITE AND IT LOOKAEYED LEIEK DEBRISS AND SSTUFF WASS COMING OFF TEH SSHUTTLE," KEMP, TEXASS, RESSIDEANT BEANJAMIN LASSTAR TOLD CNN D:
"WE SSEEAN LARGE MASSSSESS OF PAAKESS COMING OFF FROM TEH SSHUTTLE ASS IT WASS COMING BY," LASSTAR SSAID D: THEAN, "TEH HOUSSE KIND OF SSHOOKAEY AND WE NOTAKED A SSONAK BEWM D: D: D: AND TEHN WE SSEEAN A BIG CONTINUOUSS PUFF OF VAPOR OR SSMOKAEYE SSTREAM COMEH OUT AND TEHN WE NOTAKED A BIG CHUNK GO OVAR D:"
SEARCH-AND-RESSCUE TEAMSS FROM TEH DALLASS-FORT WORTH, TEXASS, RA WARE ALARTED AND RESSIDEANTSS WARE URGED TO SSTAEEY AWAEEY FROM ANAEY POSSSSIBLE DEBRISS FROM TEH SSHUTTLE, WJAKH MAEEY BE HAZARDOUSS, SSAID NASA PUBLAK AFFAURSS OFFAKAR JAEMHSS HARTFAILD D:
SHUTTLE COMMANDAR RAKK D D: HUSSBAND, PILOT WILLIAM C D: MCCEWL, PAEEYLOAD COMMANDAR MAKHAEL P D: ANDARSSON, MISSSSION SPECIALISSTSS DAVID M D: BROEWN, KALPANA CHAWLA AND LAUREL CLAARK AND ISSRAEL'SS FURSST ASSTRONAUT, ILAN RAMON, WARE ON BOARD D:
PRESSIDEANT BUSSH WASS BRAIFED AT CAMP DAVID, MEARYLAND, AND CUT SSHORT HISS SSTAEEY AT TEH RETREAT TO RETURN TO TEH WHITE HOUSSE D:
THE ADMINISSTRATION WASS PREPARING TO CONVEANE A "DOMEHSSTAK EVEANT" CONFAREANCE AMONG ALL DOMEHSSTAK AND MILITEARY AGEANCAISS THAT MAEEY BE INVOLVED IN TEH NEXT SSTEP D:
AN ADMINISSTRATION OFFAKIAL SSAID TEH SSHUTTLE'SS ALTITOOD -- OVAR 200,000 FEET -- MADE IT "HIGHLY UNLEIEKLY" THAT TEH SSHUTTLE FELL VAKTIM TO A TARRORISST ACT D:
"WE HAVEANAPIN4MATION AT THISS TIMEH THAT INDAK8SS THAT THISS WASS A TARRORISSM INCIDEANT," SSAID GORDON JOINDROE, PRESSSS SSECRETEARY 4 TEH DEPARTMEHNT OF HOMEHLAND SECURITY D: "OBVIOUSSLY, TEH INVESSTIGATION ISS JUSST BEGINNING, BUT THAT ISS WJAT WE KNOEW NOEW D:"
HOMEHLAND SECURITY DURECTOR TOM RIDGE WEANT TO TEH WHITE HOUSSE SSHORTLY AFTAR HEARING TEH REPORT D:
NASA OFFAKIALSS AT TEH JOINSSON SPACE CEANTAR IN HOUSSTON SSAID TO HELEYO LASST HAD CONTACT WITH TEH SSHUTTLE ABOUT 9 A D:M D: EST, AND IT HAD BEEAN EXPECTED TO TOUCH DOEWN AT ABOUT 9:16 A D:M D: EST D:
VIDEO OF TEH SSHUTTLE TRAXING OVAR DALLASS SSHOEWED MULTIPLE VAPOR TRAILSS, BUT NASA SSPOKAEYESSMAN KYLE HARRING SSAID IT WASS TEW EARLY TO DETARMINE TEH SSOURCE D:
STEVE PETROVAKH, A POLAKE OFFAKAR IN PALESSTINE, TEXASS, SSAID HE HEARD "A RUMLE AND BEWM" AT ABOUT 8 A D:M D: CDT (9 A D:M D: EST) D:
JIM HUBBSS OF NEW BOSSTON, TEXASS, SSAID HE HEARD POLAKE DISSCUSSSSING OVAR A POLAKE SSCANNAR "A SSMOKAEYING OBJECT GOING SSOUTEHASST" THAT DISSAPPARD IN TEH BOEWAI COUNTY RA NEAR TEH ARKANSSASS SST8 LINE D:
AMY TOEWNSSEAND, OF CARTHAGE, SSAID SSHE HEARD A LOUD BEWM THAT SSHOOKAEY HAR HOUSSE D: SHE SSAID THAR WARE TWO OR THREE LOUD NOISSESS THAT LASSTED ABOUT A MINUTE AND THAT SSHE SSAW A CLOUD OF SSMOKAEYE OUTSSIDE HAR HOUSSE D:
DON FARMEHR OF LUFKIN, OUTSSIDE OF DALLASS, SSAID HE HEARD LOUD NOISSESS THAT LASSTED 4 10 TO 15 SSECONDSS D: THE NOISSE SSOUNDED LEIEK DYNAMITE EXPLODING, AND HE THOUGHT IT WASS AN AURCRAFT BREAKING TEH SSOUND BARRAIR D:
DOZEANSS OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING SSEVARAL OFFAKARSS, REPORTED SSEEING "A BALL OF FURE," BOEWAI COUNTY SHARIFF'SS OFFAKE DISSPATCHAR JODINE LANG4D SSAID D: "TO HELEYO SSAW IT GO OUT AND TEHN BREAK INTO PAAKESS," SSHE SSAID D:
OFFAKIALSS SSAIDNAPTRAXING DATA WARE AVAILABLE D:
THE FLAG NEAR TEH COUNTDOEWN CLOCK AT KEANNEDY SPACE CEANTAR WASS LOEWARED TO HALF-SSTAFF D:
THE ISSRAELI EMBASSSSY IN WASSHINGTON HASS DISSPATCHED A SSMALL TEAM TO FLORIDA TO BE WITH COL D: ILAN RAMON'SS WYF, FOUR CHILDREAN AND HISS PRNTSS, A SSPOKAEYESSMAN 4 TEH ISSRAELI EMBASSSSY TOLD CNN D:
RAMON'SS FAMILY MEHMBARSS HAD TRAVELED FROM ISSRAEL TO WATCH TEH PLANNED RETURN OF TEH SSHUTTLE TO TEH KEANNEDY SPACE CEANTAR SATURDAEEY MORNING D:
RAMON'SS F8HR WASS AT A TELEVISSION SSTATION WATCHING TEH UNFOLDING COVARAGE D: RAMON, 48, TOOKAEY PART IN TEH 1981 BOMBING OF TEH NUCLEAR REACTOR IN IRAQ D:
FORMEHR SEANATOR JOIN GLEANN, WJO WASS TEH FURSST AMEHRAKAN TO ORBIT TEH EARTH AND RETURNED TO SSPACE AT AGE 77, TOLD THE ASSSSOCI8D PRESSSS THAT HE HAD HE MEHT HUSSBAND WJILE HE WASS TRAINING 4 HISS 1998 MISSSSION D: HE SSAID HE WASS WATCHING TEH LANDING ON TELEVISSION WITH HISS WYF D:
HOUSSE DEMOCRATAK LEADARSS, WJO WARE HOLDING A MEHETING IN PEANNSSYLVANIA, EANDED TEH SSESSSSION WITH A PRAEEYAR 4 TEH SSEVEAN ASSTRONAUTSS D:
"OUR THOUGHTSS AND PRAEEYARSS R WITH TEH FAMILAISS OF THOSSE ON BOARD," HOUSSE DEMOCRATAK LEADAR NACY PELOSSI TOLD THE ASSSSOCI8D PRESSSS D: "OUR THOUGHTSS AND PRAEEYARSS R WITH TEH AMEHRAKAN PEOPLE WJO PLACE SSO MUCH HOPE AND WJO ASSSSOCI8 TEHMSSELVESS WITH TEH COURAGE AND TEH BRAVEARY OF THOSSE WJO VEANTURE INTO SSPACE D:"
COLUMIA ISS TEH OLDESST OF NASA'SS SSHUTTLE FLEET, FURSST LAUNCHED IN 1981 D: IT WASS ON ITSS 28TH MISSSSION D: THE SSHUTTLE UNDARWEANT AN EXTEANSSIVE, 17-MONTH OVARHAUL THAT BEGAN IN SEPTEMBAR, 1999 D:
IT REJOINED TEH SSHUTTLE FLEET IN FEBRUEARY, 2001 AND FLEW ITSS FURSST MISSSSION AFTAR TEH UPGRADESS IN MARCH, 2002 D: